A few months ago in the pages of adjectiveless Spider-Man #7 from Dan Slott and Mark Bagley, readers were introduced to Spider-Boy, the webslinger’s kid sidekick whose history remains a mystery to both readers and the Marvel Universe. After revealing more of his backstory, including his full name of Bailey Briggs in last week’s Edge of Spider-Verse #3, Marvel has announced a new Spider-Boy ongoing series penned by Slott with art by Paco Medina. The first issue will feature a cover by Humberto Ramos, who co-created the character with Slott.
Considering the the sold-out printings of both his first appearance in the aforementioned Spider-Man #7 and his first solo adventure in last week’s Edge of Spider-Verse #3, the ongoing Spider-Boy series isn’t that surprising. According to the official press release, the new ongoing series will delve into the character’s past as well as introduce a new villain named Madame Monstrosity and feature a team-up with Squirrel Girl:
SPIDER-BOY will be penned by Spider-Boy co-creator Dan Slott, drawn by hotshot artist Paco Medina, and feature covers by Spider-Boy co-creator Humberto Ramos. Spinning directly out of Spider-Man, the new series will dive headfirst into Spider-Boy’s untold past by introducing his arch-nemesis and further exploring his connections to the Spider-Man mythos. Join Spider-Boy as he battles to restore his destiny and retake his place amongst the great heroes of the Marvel Universe!
Here comes the spectacular SPIDER-BOY! After the events of THE END OF THE SPIDER-VERSE story arc, Spider-Boy’s secret history as Spider-Man’s sidekick was nearly forgotten forever. But now those mysteries will be revealed while they embark on exciting new adventures…TOGETHER! The freaktacular first issue will feature two pulse-pounding tales as Bailey team up with Squirrel Girl and then confronts the mad scientist who made him into a monster… MADAME MONSTROSITY!
Slott teased what’s to come:
“Spider-Man isn’t supposed to have a sidekick. That’s just wrong on so many levels. And that is exactly why we are going to have so much fun with this. Both this character– and this new title– are going to break all the rules. Bailey Briggs is going to have over-the-top adventures in the Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Universe. He’ll be facing off against a mix of both all-new villains and fan-favorite Spidey bad guys. The one thing we can promise you, whenever you pick up a copy of SPIDER-BOY, we are going to take the weirdest and wildest swings with every single story! Our goal is to get every reader to ask two questions: ‘What in the hell did I just read?!’ and ‘When is the NEXT one coming out?!’”
Median expressed great excitement for the project:
“When I found out that I was taking charge of Spider-Boy, I was GREATLY excited because of the possibilities of the character. Aesthetically, there’s so much to do with him. Every character gets their action poses to be their personal signature. This time I’m working on something cool and specific for Spider-Boy, something that gives him a light of his own. On the other hand, I’ll be working with Dan which is fantastic. His limitless imagery is what such a fresh character needs, it just makes me think of all the things we can do together and what I can bring to the table.”
Spider-Boy#1 is set to arrive in stores and digitally on Wednesday, November 1st.
